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I'm starting with the second half so I can get a better look at the reserves who came in and got some reps.

Third Quarter, 15:00, NE 27 Hou 0

Kickoff: Goskowski kicking into the wind to the Hou 16; 14 yd return.

1st and 10: Dayne right side for 13 yds. Analysis: Warren and Wright were both double-teamed, Colvin got blocked by the TE and screened behind the double-team on Warren. Bruschi was taken out by the FB, Vrabel got screened behind the double-team on Wright. Seymour was blocked by the LT, Banta-Cain hustled coming through the backfield then getting around the Wright double-team pile-up to slow Dayne a little as he burst through the clutter into the secondary, this helped Sanders with his tackle.

1st and 10: Carr to Dayne screen left for 7 yds. Analysis: Good screen, Banta-Cain took out two blockers and slowed Dayne a little with a hand on his ankle. Wright hustled out and made the tackle from behind. Banta-Cain ran with the FB on his pass route to the flat, doing a nice job in pass coverage too.

2nd and 3: Carr to Johnson for 9 yds. Analysis: Carr took a 5 step drop and got the ball out on 3 mississippi to Johnson on a comeback route. Banta-Cain had coverage on the slot WR who ran a square-out to clear the throwing lane underneath. Chad Scott gave a six yd cushion on the snap, it looked like a zone with Hawkins coming down on underneath coverage and Scott having over the top responsibilities - Hawkins made the stop for no YAC. Pats rushed four with Vrabel coming up the middle, Warren was doubled as was Seymour.

1st and 10: Dayne left side for 4 yds. Analysis: Wright was double-teamed by the C/RG, Bruschi side slipped the LG to fill the intended hole, Seymour stood up the LT, but couldnÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t get off the block. Those three forced Dayne outside to the Ã¢â‚¬ËœcÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ gap where Banta-Cain turned him inside working against the TE on the edge, then slipped the block to wrap up DayneÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s legs, Bruschi hit him high for a piece of the tackle.

2nd and 6: Carr to Moulds for 8 yds. Analysis: Carr took a 5 step drop and released on 3 mississippi, barely in time as the pocket was collapsing up the middle despite the double-team on Wright. Samuel was in press, but Moulds just ran a nice buttonhook route, Samuel made the tackle for no YAC. Vrabel came on the rush inside and Colvin was cleared out underneath by the TE running a square-out.

1st and 10: Dayne left side for 3 yds. Analysis: The C went playside on Wright trying to allow the RG to rotate around before he released to clear out Vrabel. Seymour was double-teamed by the LG/LT. Bruschi fired in and absorbed the FB, creating a pile-up in DayneÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s path. Wright fought through the RGÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s block to get a piece of Dayne, who also tripped over the FB as Sanders fired in and took out his legs.

2nd and 7: Carr to Moulds for 12 yds. Analysis: Designed rollout, Colvin was reading the FB and was dropping into the flat before he saw Carr had rolled his way. Warren slipped the RT to pursue. Samuel gave a Moulds a 5 yd cushion on the snap, but it was a pretty sideline comeback route.

1st and 10: Dayne left side for 10 yds. Analysis: Wright was doubled by the C/RG and knocked down. Seymour was stood-up by the LT and chipped by the LG before he went out to clear out Bruschi. Vrabel was cleared out by the FB. Seymour never got off his block and Wright was on the ground under the RG and C, leaving Hawkins who slowed Dayne a little coming from outside Bruschi to try and grab him from behind, Sanders made the tackle after Hawkins slipped off.

1st and goal at the 4: Dayne up the middle for 3 yds. Analysis: The play started right behind double-teams on Warren and Wright which combined with ColvinÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s edge against the TE to close down the right side. Seymour overran the play in the backfield. Dayne used his cutback lane and was tripped up by Bruschi and fallen on by Chad Scott.

2nd and goal: Dayne up the middle for a TD. Analysis: The C was able to submarine the taller Wright. Bruschi met the FB and was turned inside. Dayne just submarined over the FBÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s back and under SeymourÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s grab to break the plane.

Extra Point good.

NE 27 Hou 7

Assessment: The offense ran at Seymour, who was pretty much neutralized by the LT. They ran comeback timing routes off 5 step drops for quick passes. Wright played well, lacking 30-50 pounds of WilforkÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s bulk, drawing double-teams consistently and plugging things up inside. Banta-Cain continues to look good on the edge and in coverage. Sanders continues to look good at SS. A well executed and designed drive by Houston, showing a lot of respect for Warren, Wright, and Bruschi based on blocker allocation.

Grades

DL B Seymour wasnÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t getting off the blocks to help his line mates much.
OLB A
ILB B Vrabel and Bruschi got screened out at least once, and had mixed results getting off blocks or using them to plug holes.
CB B+ Comeback routes are very hard to defend, no YAC was allowed.
S A No YAC allowed and good run support.
DC B The defense did okay, but never got far in pressuring Carr.
KO unit B+ Short kick into the wind, but only a 14 yd return.

Part of that was the reserves, I'm pretty sure the front 3 was Hill, Smith, and Green sometime in the third quarter. I saw a remark saying Mays took ILB snaps and I know Reiss reported Woods and Izzo also got in for some reps. Which goes back to why I wanted to start in the second half and assess the reserve's play.

Kickoff: Taken at the NE 7 by Hobbs and returned for a TD. Beautiful blocking by Izzo (most likely, though it may have been Woods - but since Woods was down in the first scrum of players congratulating Hobbs I think it was Larry who blasted across the field to deck that Texan), Thomas, and Mays opened the hole Andrews led Hobbs through, Andrews finished the job with his block (read Hobbsâ€™ comments on that in Reissâ€™ blog), springing Hobbs for his burst past the defenders.

Pats had the bulk of the blockers set up for a return left, which is where the wedge (Banta-Cain, Wright, Hochstein) led, the blockers on that side were all mixed in with a herd of Texans. Izzo and Thomas came down and crossed the field driving the right outside lane players away from the center of the field, and Mays had a nice seal block holding the defenders on the left away from the center where the hole had been opened. Andrews was the up man and read the flow of the field perfectly leading Hobbs into the hole where two trail men and the kicker remained to navigate. The left trail man was a little obstructed by clutter and Andrews (correctly according to Hobbs account) chose to seal the right trail man outside. Hobbs kicked in high gear behind that block and blew past the left man and the kicker.

Kickoff: Gostkowski with a nice directional kick to the left side, taken at the 2 yd line and returned 24 yds. Pats had a nice lane fill and the directional kicking is forcing Houston to run sideways into the middle of the field to try and find an open lane. The Scott brothers, Gus and Chad, combined on the tackle.

Note: Green in for Seymour.

1st and 10: Carr to Johnson for 6 yds. Analysis: Samuel was 9 yds off the LOS at the snap and dropping back. Carr took a one step drop to throw a quick slant to Johnson, but appeared to made a nice read on Sanders coming up fast and threw the ball behind his WR allowing him to reach back for the ball and fall down away from Sanders who would have taken his head off or picked the ball. Sanders was close to 15 yds deep before the camera slid down to center the offense (a PWP/BOR pet peeve), but must have been coming up for the slot WR as Colvin started back inside from the slot to blitz off the edge. Houston relied on a quick release to defeat Warren and Colvin getting their hands up to block the pass. The ball came out just before 2 mississippi.

2nd and 4: Dayne up the middle for 1 yd. Analysis: CBS came back late from a graphic on Lamar Hunt, may the production team find fleas in their beds. The NFL.com play-by-play credits Wright and Green for the tackle.

Note: Izzo in at SLB. Mickens in at nickelback.

3rd and 3: Carr to Moulds for 4 yds. Anaysis: The camera shot wandered all over and returned to the field of play too late again. Samuel was up in press on Moulds who ran a comeback to the sideline. Carr took a 5 step drop and threw just before 3 mississippi. Pats looked to be in a 3-3 nickel, with Warren at NTand 5 LBs, Vrabel rushed from MLB, showing blitz before the snap.

Note: Pats back to a 3-4 with Green in for Seymour.

1st and 10: Dayne left side for no gain. Analysis: CBS sucks, using a pull back shot so the line play was missed. There was a wall of Patriots led by Green and including Wight, Vrabel, and Bruschi there to shut down the left side. Bruschi and Green get the credit on the NFL.com play-by-play. Pats had some confusion on personnel shifts, Mickens just got off the field before the snap to prevent a 12 man call.

Note: Mickens in at nickelback.

2nd and 10: Carr to Moulds incomplete. Analysis: Pats in a 3-3 nickel with Warren, Green, and Banta-Cain as DL and Vrabel up inside Colvin showing blitz. Pats rushed 5. Carr took a 5 step drop and threw on 3 mississippi. Moulds ran a comeback route, but this time Samuel was playing that and came with him to get a hand on the low pass and knock it away. Samuel gave Moulds a 5 yd cushion.

3rd and 10: Carr to Johnson incomplete. Analaysis: CBS sucks again with the pull back shot. Carr took a 5 step drop and overthrew the WR on 3 mississippi. Pats in a 3-3 nickel, looked to have brought 5 rushers again. Johnson had Chad Scott beaten despite a 7 yd cushion and the S help from Hawkins had to come across the field - Carr missed his man.

4th and 10: Punt, taken at the 19 by Faulk and returned 10 yds. Guss Scott and Andrews doubled the right gunner, knocking him out of the play. The return right was on, Brown was the upman and blocked the left side gunner as he came free. Woods got a hand on a man to push him past Faulk and open up a return lane to the left side line. Izzo, Guss Scott, and Sanders can all be seen blocking inside. Kight had a nice block upfield and Thomas can be seen inside doing a good job avoiding a block in the back.

Score: NE 34 Hou 7

Assessment: The Pats have started working reserves into the game with Green and Izzo. The Pats easily handled the Houston come from behind passing attack and did well against the run.

Grades

DL B+ Little pressure on the QB, but the run stuffing went quite well.
OLB A
ILB A
CB B
S A
DC A
PR unit A

Stats don't include five kneel-downs and one pass interference call that doesn't officially count as a play.

ANALYSIS: One change from the past few weeks was the reduced load for top receivers Reche Caldwell and Troy Brown. That meant more snaps for the 3-4-5 receivers, with Kelvin Kight -- in a bit of a surprise -- on the field for 27 snaps. But those 3-4-5 receivers combined for just one catch, an indication that the team is still struggling to receive consistent across-the-board production from its receiving corps. At tight end, rookie David Thomas (3 catches, 24 yards) saw his most extended action, filling in for Benjamin Watson. The game was a positive step for Thomas, the team's third-round pick. At running back, Corey Dillon was relied on more than in past weeks, as he was the clear lead guy in this game. And it's also interesting to note that of his 34 snaps, Dillon touched the ball 25 times (20 carries, 5 catches), a high percentage.

I'll be very interested in hearing from you guys regarding the overall play of the OL.

I did see some good play but as a unit they didn't seem to move people out on running plays. Now, that could be just my lying eyes not seeing the whole picture. Or, maybe my eyes were tellng me the truth.

1st and 10: Dillon up the middle for 3 yds. Analysis: Have I mentioned CBS sucks yet? Houston had 8 men in the box. The play was designed to go right, Neal moved his man out and Kaczur turned Super Mario outside, but the WLB filled well taking on Evans and the left side of the D surged right compressing and cluttering things up further. Dillon used the cutback lane behind Mankins and LightÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s blocks and fell forward. It is interesting to note Kight was in at WR, close in on the left (TE) side and Caldwell was split out to the slot right - I remember Kight getting a plug for his blocking during the game, so this may be a blocking assignment for him over Gaffney and Jackson.

2nd and 7: Brady to Thomas flanker screen right for 6 yds. Analysis: Thomas was split out to slot left with Graham at TE right and an unidentified WR two steps outside him. Jackson in motion right to wide left. Nicely designed and executed screen, Brady with the one step turn and toss, Jackson locked on to the CB and drove him off the screen with a nice block that moved him over 8 yds. The S slid over on the motion and was 10-12 yds deep over Thomas. Thomas got outside behind JacksonÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s block and was able to toss the S aside as he came up a little out of control, but the S made a nice recovery from the ground, diving for ThomasÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ ankles as he started to get some headway and fell forward shy of the line to gain.

3rd and 1: Dillon off left tackle for 3 yds. Analysis: Houston in a standard 4-3. Pats start with three wide, two right. Thomas was slot right and motioned to flanker left outside Graham at TE. Kight was split out to slot left. The S on the left came down over Thomas on the motion to Flanker. Graham and Thomas sealed the left side of the line against the SLB and DE. Kight locked onto the S and sealed him inside, getting kudos from Kevin Harlan in his play-by-play for the nice block that cleared the way for Dillon. Neal pulled, but was knocked off the timing when the LDT drove Koppen and Mankins into the backfield. Dillon came through behind KightÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s and the TEÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s blocks with only a little CB waiting beyond the line to gain to meet him, and receive a Dillonesque pounding for his daring. Jackson fans will be happy to know he was split wide right for this play and blocked his CB nicely. Super Mario was again lined up over Kaczur and did a nice edge set on the backside of the play. Neal falling behind Dillon meant no one was able to get in front and block the LCB or this play was going for double digits.

1st and 10: Brady to Dillon, screen right, no gain. Analysis: Pats put on the razzle dazzle, faking a dive to Dillon and an end around to Caldwell before tossing the screen to Dillon in the flat. The RCB made a very good play, reading the screen and beating Neal outside to get behind the OL and tackle Dillon in the backfield. Dillon showed his own strength fighting through the tackle to fall forward and avoid the loss. If the CB hadnÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t reacted so quickly this play was going 10 or more yards with three OL and a TE rumbling ahead of Dillon into a sparsely populated secondary.

2nd and 10: Brady to Thomas for 7 yds. Analysis: Houston in a nickel package. Pats in a shotgun, 5 wide (empty backfield) with Evans motioning to wide left and both TEÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s in close - Caldwell slot left and Jackson wide right. Thomas ran a crossing pattern underneath the LBs. Evans ran a curl on the sideline, so the LB working on him was close by and able to beat him inside for the tackle as Thomas juked his LB. Good protection. Super Mario was working against Kaczur and was sent wide and deep well past Tommy. Brady took a five step drop from his shotgun stance, then came up in the pocket, possibly looking to scramble, before throwing just before 4 mississippi. Based on TommyÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s reaction, it appeared Caldwell and Jackson were well covered upfield.

3rd and 3: Evans sweep right, loss of 7 yds. Analysis: Pats 3 wide, 2 right, TE right - Thomas in motion from wide right to inside the slot. Houston packed 8 in the box. Pats pulled Koppen and Kaczur to lead the sweep, either Koppen was supposed to clean up the RDE or Graham or Kaczur missed a blocking assignment since Super Mario was three steps past where Koppen could have engaged him zeroing in on Evans. The RCB also made a quick read/react and beat Kaczur outside to be the second line of defense. Houston was too quick for the pitchout and the pulling PatsÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ blockers. Thomas and Brown had a nice double-team on the SLB.

4th and 10: Punt, Walter, 45 yds with the wind to the Houston 14. It looked like Jackson (or possibly Kight) was the left gunner and beat his man to force the PR to wave everybody off. Ball took a PatriotsÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ roll and was downed by Mays and Woods.

Score: NE 34 Hou 7

Assessment: Execution woes, little things like Koppen and Mankins getting knocked backwards to throw a pulling Neal off his timing, Evans unable to get a block on his covering LB to spring Thomas for a first down, WRs not getting open, blown blocking assignments on EvansÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ sweep play and DillonÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s screen...they all added up to a punt. HoustonÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s defense deserves credit because they made good plays to disrupt the Pats, but these are the kind of details that can make or break the team in the playoffs. KightÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s and JacksonÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s blocking was quite good, just what Captain Graham ordered to help the team. Nice coverage from the Punt Coverage unit.

Grades

OL C+ I consider the blown blocking assignments on EvansÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ sweep to be a line error/drive killer.
RB/FB A- Evans not getting a block on his LB on ThomasÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ catch was a minor negative, it was a hard place to make a block.
TE A blocking, A receiving I canÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t take off for Graham on EvansÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ sweep, since unlike the OL, his role in the play was more ambiguous.
WR A blocking, F for not getting open - one play, but frustrating.
QB A
OC A
PC unit A

Note: Green in for Seymour, Smith in for Wright, Hobbs in for Chad Scott.

1st and 10: Carr to Johnson - Intercepted by Hobbs. Analysis: Pats in standard 3-4. Houston 3 wide, 2 left. Pats rushed 4, collapsing the pocket on Carr who took a 5 step drop planted and threw, without stepping up, on 3 mississippi. Colvin and the ILBs dropped into coverage. Carr overthrew his intended receiver, Hobbs and Hawkins both had a shot at it, Hawkins did a good job of maintaining situational awareness and not fighting Hobbs for the ball. Gannon doing the color commentary was very critical of the throw into the coverage the Pats had on as a bad decision. PatriotsÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ ball at the Houston 29.

It looked like Jackson (or possibly Kight) was the left gunner and beat his man to force the PR to wave everybody off.

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It was actually Hobbs, black cast and all.

Box_o_Rocks said:

Hawkins did a good job of maintaining situational awareness and not fighting Hobbs for the ball

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I guess you could say that. Hawkins flew towards Hobbs at full speed, just barely missed him, then dove to the ground to, err, help block. Better than the last time though, when both Hawkins and Samuel batted the ball out of each others' hands.

Box_o_Rocks said:

Beautiful blocking by Izzo (most likely, though it may have been Woods - but since Woods was down in the first scrum of players congratulating Hobbs I think it was Larry who blasted across the field to deck that Texan)

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Strangely enough, it was Woods.

I watched it closely, and Izzo was part of the wedge, and was part of the pack around midfield. The endzone angle confirms it was Woods.

All-around great play by Woods:

1) Hustle in decking the Texan
2) Hustle to go congratulate Hobbs

When Hobbs threw the ball down in his celebration, Woods picked it up and brought it back over to Hobbs to keep.

I could see a 7 or 9, just was looking at the speed and never thought about Hobbs. Another feather in his cap for the game - I'm not believing the doghouse stuff rumored after he was pulled in favor of Chad Scott - I think BB did want to nurse his wrist.

I guess you could say that. Hawkins flew towards Hobbs at full speed, just barely missed him, then dove to the ground to, err, help block. Better than the last time though, when both Hawkins and Samuel batted the ball out of each others' hands.

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Yes, but Hawkins was able to keep the field in front of him, instead of looking over his shoulder, so he was the "outfielder" responsible for the wave off or turn away - and despite falling down, he did get back up and try to block - you cynical bum!

1st and 10: Dillon left side for 5 yds. Analysis: Pats in a 2 wide, 2 TE left formation. Houston had 8 men in the box. Neal pulled and got a block outside, Light put his man on the ground and Mankins drove his upfield, but both TEs wound up on the ground. Kight drove a S upfield past the line to gain. Dillon did the rest on his own outrunning a horde of black jerseys to the corner and turning upfield before running out of bounds.

2nd and 5: Brady to Brown for 4 yds. Analysis: Pats in a 5 wide, 3 right formation with Brown wide left, Kight in the slot, Jackson wide right, Caldwell in the slot, Graham in close. Houston in a nickel package. The CB and S on the left side started dropping back before the snap giving Brown a 5 yds cushion, the right side stayed up in press. Both Jackson and Brown turned inside looking for the flanker screen, Brady went to Brown off the defenders increased cushion. Light and Mankins got out front with Kight to make blocks.

Note: Britt in at LTE

3rd and 1: Evans off left tackle for 3 yds. Analysis: Pats line up heavy left with Graham at flanker and Evans offset left, Brown split wide right. Houston had 10 in the box. Evans went right behind Britt through the Ã¢â‚¬ËœdÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ gap as Britt sealed the end of the line and Graham stood up the SLB. The entire O-line drove past the line to gain.

1st and 10: Dillon right side for no gain. Analysis: Pats 3 wide, 2 right, TE right - Thomas in motion from wide right to FB offset right. Houston had 8 men in the box when the S marking Thomas followed him inside. Thomas wham-blocked the RDT, Neal cleared the MLB, Kaczur got inside the SLB, Graham turned the RDE outside, Koppen took out the WLB, Mankins and Light handled the left side DL. Brown tried to come inside and get the S who had followed Thomas inside, but was unable to get there before Dillon started into the hole and tried to change direction giving the SLB an angle to break off KaczurÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s block and join the S in the tackle. Basic math again, 1 more defender than available blocker.

2nd and 10: Dillon reversed field to the right side for 5 yds. Analysis: Pats in a 2 wide, 2 TE right set, I formation. The play went to the left side where Light turned the LDE out and Mankins doubled on the LDT with Koppen before sliding out on the MLB. Evans led into the hole which was plugged by the WLB. Dillon reversed field and ran outside behind the right side after Kaczur, Graham, and Thomas blocked down on the inside with such force that they literally popped Neal stumbling through the line into the next level where he engaged the SLB. Dillon made the cut around end and got upfield before the S and RCB checked him.

3rd and 10: Brady to Faulk for 5 yds. Analysis: Pats in a shotgun, 4 wide. Houston was in a 3-2 dime and rushed three, dropping 8 into the short red zone field. Brady took a 3 step drop from the shotgun and dumped it off to Faulk crossing underneath on 3 mississippi, the LB made a nice ankle tackle or Faulk had a shot at the 1st down. Gannon praised Brady for a good decision, not forcing it into coverage with a huge lead, instead using the checkdown to Faulk and settling for another FG.

4th and 5: Field Goal, Gostkowski from 31 yds, good.

Score: NE 37, Hou 7

Assessment: Other than the first play where both Thomas and Graham, normally sure blockers, wound up on the ground leaving Dillon to put on a burst of speed and make the play on his own, the execution on this drive went well until LightÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s false start. Penalties killed another drive. Houston did make the offense work packing 8-10 men in the box on running plays and rarely blitzing, especially inside the red zone when they rushed 3.

Grade

OL B+ on LightÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s drive killer penalty, but some good blocking previous to that.
TE B on blocking, Incomplete on receiving.
RB A+
WR A on blocking, A receiving (points off against a stacked red zone isnÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t called for).
QB A
OC A
FG unit A

I watched it closely, and Izzo was part of the wedge, and was part of the pack around midfield. The endzone angle confirms it was Woods.

All-around great play by Woods:

1) Hustle in decking the Texan
2) Hustle to go congratulate Hobbs

When Hobbs threw the ball down in his celebration, Woods picked it up and brought it back over to Hobbs to keep.

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The wedge is a three man group in front of the up man (Andrews) and Larry isn't big enough to line up with Wright, TBC, and Hochstein, but he may have been over in that mess, I couldn't get a good look at the number so I hedged - what TV are you using by the way?

The wedge is a three man group in front of the up man (Andrews) and Larry isn't big enough to line up with Wright, TBC, and Hochstein, but he may have been over in that mess, I couldn't get a good look at the number so I hedged - what TV are you using by the way?

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Nothing special for a TV (not HD), but the (horrible) quality of the VHS tape I use negates everything.

You're right with the wedge. Izzo is actually part of the pack a step up from the wedge, and had a double with Thomas on the defender on the inside edge of Hobbs' hole:

Here's the setup for the play, based on a few different camera shots and other known characteristics of the players:

Banta-Cain was in a block but got decked from the side, fell down, and never made it to the celebration. Kight chased Hobbs down the field, and was the first into the celebration. Andrews, Mays, Woods, and Thomas all joined into the fun next. Hochstein finished it off.

Sanders celebrated with Hobbs next, but he was nowhere to be found on the play. Graham, Mankins, Koppen, and Mruczkowski helped out.

That leaves Evans, Izzo, and Wright, who are all clearly seen on the play.